YouTube chef and cookbook author Maangchi joins us in studio to discuss her new cookbook Maangchi’s Big Book of Korean Cooking: From Everyday Meals to Celebration Cuisine.

Recipe: 

Excerpted from MAANGCHI’S BIG BOOK OF KOREAN COOKING: From Everyday Meals to Celebration Cuisine © 2019 by Maangchi. 

Kimchi Stew [Kimchi-Jjigae 김치찌개] 

We use kimchi for so much more than the small side dishes served at the table with rice. When I lived in Missouri, a friend from China, Ms. Yuyi, came to my house to pick me up for the picnic of the English class we were taking. As I opened my fridge to get the dishes I’d prepared, she looked astonished at the sight of my huge container of kimchi. I never had a chance to explain why I’d made so much, but when you taste this stew of simmered kimchi and juicy, fatty pork belly in a spicy, flavorful broth, you’ll understand why having plenty of kimchi on hand is always a good idea. Recently one of my readers left a comment on my website saying her stew wasn’t flavorful enough. After some discussion, I realized she was using freshly made kimchi. That won’t work at all. You have to use well-fermented kimchi for this recipe. It softens as it simmers but still retains a bit of crunchiness, and the sour taste gives the stew its distinctive flavor. Serve with rice. 

SERVES 4 

1 pound fermented napa cabbage kimchi, cut into 1-inch pieces

¼ cup fermented kimchi brine (optional)

1 pound pork belly or pork shoulder, cut into bite-size pieces, about 1 inch square and ¼ inch thick

1 medium onion, sliced (about 1 cup)

1 daepa (large green onion) or 4 scallions, sliced diagonally

1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper paste (gochujang)

1 tablespoon Korean hot pepper flakes (gochugaru)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2½ cups Anchovy-Kelp Stock (See Notes) or unsalted chicken or beef broth

8 ounces medium-firm tofu, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 scallion, sliced, for garnish

1. Combine the kimchi, kimchi brine (if using), pork, onion, daepa or scallion, hot pepper paste, hot pepper flakes, salt, sugar, sesame oil, and stock in a large, shallow pot. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. If the mixture begins to boil over, uncover, stir, and then cover with the lid slightly cracked.
2. Uncover and stir the stew with a large spoon. Lay the tofu over the top and reduce the heat to medium. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes, cracking the lid if the soup bubbles over, or until the pork is thoroughly cooked and the kimchi is tender.
3. Sprinkle with the scallion and serve.